Mastering the 5-Paragraph Essay : Mini-Lessons, Models, and Engaging Activities That Give Students the Writing Tools That They Need to Tackle-and Succeed on-The Tests

by Susan Van Zile

• ISBN13: 9780439635257
• ISBN10: 043963525X
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2006-04-01
• Publisher: Teaching Resources

Summary

A master teacher shares her meaningful, student-centered lessons and activities that have helped her meet national and state standards. Includes models and rubrics for teaching informational, narrative, persuasive essays. Perfect for engaging students and helping them succeed on the tests. For use with Grades 5 & Up.

Author Biography

Susan Van Zile, a published author with 30+ years of classroom teaching and experience, has a master's degree in Teaching and Curriculum. She currently supervises student teachers at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and serves as a Teacher Emeritus for her former school district. She has presented at conferences for the Pennsylvania Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Council of Teachers of English.

Table of Contents

Introduction---What's Inside and Why	4	(3)
Introducing the Five-Paragraph Essay	7	(22)
Comparing Paragraphs and Essays	7	(1)
Analyzing the Structure of an Essay	8	(2)
Building a Lego Model	10	(2)
Webbing and the Rule of Three	12	(1)
Constructing the Thesis Statement	13	(2)
Hooking Readers With the Introduction	15	(1)
Drafting the Body Paragraphs	16	(2)
Coming Up With the Conclusion	18	(1)
Revising, Proofreading, and Assessing	18	(2)
Reproducibles	20	(9)
The Informational Essay	29	(14)
Reading and Responding to an Informational Prompt	30	(2)
Modeling the Informational Essay	32	(3)
The Missing Link: An Activity to Teach Transition Words	35	(1)
Other Activities for Teaching Transition Words	36	(1)
Reproducibles	37	(6)
The Personal Narrative Essay	43	(11)
Mini-Lesson: Writing Personal Narrative Essays	43	(3)
A Revision Strategy for Adding Detail	46	(2)
Activities to Help Students Add Detail to Personal Narratives	48	(1)
Reproducibles	49	(5)
The Persuasive Essay	54	(9)
Mini-Lesson: Writing Persuasive Essays	54	(4)
Revision Strategy: Style	58	(1)
Reproducibles	59	(4)
Writing Across the Curriculum: A Compare-Contrast Essay	63	(7)
Mini-Lesson: Writing Compare-Contrast Essays	64	(4)
Reproducibles	68	(2)
The Literary Essay: A Character Analysis	70	(10)
Nine Strategies for Teaching and Writing Literary Essays	70	(4)
Addressing Common Problems	74	(2)
Reproducibles	76	(4)
Final Thoughts	80	(1)
Bibliography and Web Resources	80